Saving the Future World
by ironyheartsap
Summary: In the future Itex has taken over the world. The Flock have broken up. The world is in Itex's hands, which we all know isn't good. There is one thing Max can do... she can try to travel back in time and keep herself from making the same mistakes twice...
1. Battle in the Future

**I got this idea while trying to read "End of the World" but it was too depressing for me. (I'm weak, I know). But I started to wonder what if Itex took over the world and years later Max traveled back in time to keep herself from making the same mistakes twice. Plus I really like physics and time travel is theoretically possible (credible scientists are doing experiments now at a subatomic level using electrons, I think). So pretty much this starts off as Max from the future fighting with the other rebels in some Itex headquarters. Where are the rest of the Flock? Well, that's one of the reasons Max needs to go back in time; to warn her past self not to break up with the Flock. It's confusing, I know, but time travel does that to you. :) I hope you like it...**

My eyes were jumping from person to person to robot to robot to part-human to part-human to scan for threats. Most of the enemy were busy fighting the rest of the rebels. There were pieces of metal, blood, and even bodies throughout the complex. It was an even fight. There was no telling who would win. And everything depended on us winning.

Suddenly, an Advanced Eraser came running towards me, his blood-red eyes blazing. It was stupid of him, really. There would be no way he could win alone, and the rest of the Advanced Erasers, the Flyboys 6.0, and other creatures were fighting the rebels. I shook my head, and sent a piece of metal that used to belong to a Flyboy hurtling towards his head. It hit the Eraser's head with such force that he was most likely dead.

I continued down a long hallway. Fighting was all around me. I weaved in and out of the various battles taking place. I had a mission to complete. I made it to the end of the hall without any problems, but there were five Perfectus Homo (Perfect Humans that had super strength, speed, healing, senses, and other various abilities) in my way. My eyes narrowed. I would be able to take them, but it would be difficult.

The first two launched themselves at me. I immediately moved to the side, just narrowly missing two kicks in the head. I tried to touch their minds while fighting them. The mental barriers were firm, but not impassable. Within a minute I got into the first one's mind. I sent a wave of pain into his mind. Right away, the Perfectus Homo fell to the ground with his head in his hands. I smiled. I started to work on getting through the second's mental blockade. It would be easier to get into the rest now.

The other three Perfectus Homo came to the aid of the one I was currently fighting. That was unexpected. Procedure would have had them to guard the door while others tried to finish me off. This was going to be much more difficult than I thought.

I was still working on getting through Perfect Human Number Two that fought me, but I wasn't able to get through his barriers as quickly as I would have hoped. I was avoiding blows from four people that were as strong and fast as I was. I was trying to attack at any of them given the chance. I was also sending bits and pieces of dead Flyboys and other objects to them. I was doing all that while still watching through the corners of my eyes for any other threats (like a bomb being hurled at me or electricity from the Orymalses, which was basically an advanced taser).

I was still multitasking when I saw a guy around six one dressed all in black with olive skin and black hair that still hung partly over his eyes fighting his way towards me. There were cuts on his face and arms, but the guy still kept fighting as if he didn't notice his injuries, which he probably didn't.

Even though I was busy enough, thoughts managed to seep into my head. I knew that guy. He was once like a brother to me, my best friend. Once he was even something that might be considered my boyfriend. But that was in the past. No longer were we friends. Part of me saw a glimpse of my childhood friend, but it was soon replaced by the image of a stranger that just looked like an older version of my friend.

"Hey, Max," the guy said, with a grin on his face. "Need some help?" _Did I need some help?_ That's what he had to say to me after everything? That jerk! I hadn't needed his help for years.

"No I do not need some help, Fang!" I hissed at him while punching Perfect Human Number Four. I was almost through the mental barrier of Perfect Human Number Two when Fang interrupted. Oh, wait! I was through Number Two's barricade now. I saw something that resembled fear cross his face before I sent him to the ground, unconscious. Now Number Three…

"Aw, come on, Max!" Fang said, swerving out of Number Five's way and jabbing Number Four in the eyes. Ooohhh, that had to hurt. I ducked, just narrowly missing Number Three's fist. Before I could counterattack, Fang struck him with an Extended Knuckle Strike. I glared at Fang. I was able to take care of myself, thank you very much!

Fang didn't notice my glare, though, for he was busy again with Number Four and Five. "Go on, Max!" Fang shouted at me.

"No!" I shouted back while using a ridge hand strike to Number Three. "You can't handle all three by yourself!" Fang was good, but not that good. The three Perfect Humans would kill him!

_Listen to Fang, _the Voice in my head said. I scowled. _No!_ I mentally shouted to the Voice. _They will tear him to pieces!_ I was confused. Why should I care what happened to Fang?

_Maximum,_ the Voice said in a stern tone, _you need to complete your mission. If you don't everything would have been for nothing._

_I know! _I mentally shouted to the Voice. I more than anyone, perhaps, knew was at stake. I sighed. I didn't have much of a choice I needed to finish my mission. I would have to leave Fang to deal with the remanding Perfect Humans. I just wish I knew why it bothered me so much…

_You must hurry, Max. Reinforcements are coming. You will not be able to take them all. It's now or never, Maximum._

I glanced at Fang. He was barely holding his own with the one he was fighting and Number Four which was fighting both of us. But I knew the Voice was right. I needed to go.

"Go, Max!" Fang yelled before Number Four punched him in the face. His nose was no doubt broken.

I nodded at Fang. "Thanks," I said so softly I could barely hear. But Fang heard me, because he just nodded in response before striking Number Five. I opened the door that the Perfect Humans were guarding with my mind. Before closing the door, I saw Fang trying, and failing, to block the attacks from Numbers Three, Four, and Five. He was getting beaten badly, very badly.

Numbers Three and Four noticed that I was in the room they were supposed to guard, and turned their attention towards me. I quickly shut the door, blocking any chance they, or Fang, had to get in. The last think I saw before the door shut completely was Fang getting pounded on by Number Five. Our eyes met for a moment, and then the door blocked my view.

For a moment I just stood there, trying to make sense of everything. I don't know how long I would have stood there if the Voice hadn't spoke to me. _Max, your mission, _the Voice reminded gently. I had a bunch of comebacks lined up, but the Voice was right. I pushed all my thoughts of Fang and the day's events out of my mind.

I walked up to the computer and put in a disk. A program popped up, lines and lines of mathematical equations that meant nothing to me. I went to a machine and pressed the buttons I had been told to, and the machine started humming. It was soft at first, and then it became faster and faster.

What happened next is hard to explain. All I can tell you it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life, and that's saying something. Something that resembled a doorway in shape appeared. The colors… well they were _amazing._ Every color of the rainbow, plus others I had never even seen. And the noise coming from there, it was the most beautiful music I had ever heard. I was mesmerized.

_Max,_ the Voice said, breaking the trance. _Your mission…_ My mission? Oh, yeah. My mission. I grabbed a bag that was left by the desk, and stepped closer to the doorway.

I had no idea what would happen. We weren't even sure if it was going to work. But it was the best idea we had. I was going to travel into the past (something never done before by human, robot, or mutant, I feel inclined to add) and make sure things turned out differently. That Itex doesn't take over the Earth. That the Flock doesn't break up…

That was my mission… to change the past. I didn't know much about the whole time travel thing, I wasn't the one who designed the machine or the equation. Even she didn't know what was going to happen. But with any luck, the future would be altered. That way none of this would ever happen.

So I, Maximum Ride, stepped into the doorway. I was on a journey like no other…. a journey through time. I had to keep myself from keeping the same mistakes twice. I had to save the world.

**I hope you liked the first chapter. It's confusing, I know. Don't be mad at me that Fang and Max aren't together.... if future Max succeeds in keeping current Max from making the mistakes future Max made, Fang and Max will end up together. The next chapter will be a point of view from Future Max and Present Max. Later maybe I'll add some of the others POV. Reviews are greatly appreciated.....**


	2. Stranger In The Forest

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Maximum Ride.**

**Chapter Two: Stranger in the Forest**

_Max's POV_

"Hey, Max!" Gazzy shouted at me. "How do you confuse a frog?" he asked. I sighed. We had been listening to his stupid jokes for hours now. I should never have let him get that joke book.

"I don't know, Gazzy," I said looking very, very deep within my well of leaderly patience, which had run dry two hours ago. At first I had just tried to ignore him, but that didn't work very well. He would just ask again and again and again…

"Put it in a round bowl and tell it to take a nap in the corner!" Gazzy exclaimed, laughing. Angel and Nudge laughed along with him. Oh, this has definitely been a long day.

"How does a frog confuse you?" Gazzy asked.

"How, how?" Nudge asked excitedly.

"By coming out and saying he needed that nap and feels much better now!" Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel were now officially cracking up. I just rolled my eyes and forced myself from saying one of the numerous comments I had. This joke wasn't that bad, though. Better than the other ones, at least.

I caught an air current and was able to get away from Gazzy and his jokes. I could still hear the little ones laughing, though. It was nice that they were having fun, but still, this whole joke thing was getting _really_ annoying.

Fang came alongside me. "Getting away from Mutant Comedy Tour over there?" I asked him with a grin.

Fang nodded, grinning back. "You too?"

"I think I am going to go crazy if I listen to any more of Gazzy's jokes."

"That's inferring you're not crazy already."

"Hey!" I shouted to Fang. I wasn't crazy. Then I thought of the Voice in my head, the talking dog Total, the mind reading Angel, the mimicking Gazzy, the blind pyro-baker Iggy, the magnetic motor-mouth Nudge, and the invisible turning Fang. Okay, maybe I was a little crazy, but who wouldn't be in this situation? Besides, everybody has a little craziness in them, I reasoned. Right? I wasn't a-person-who-should-be-locked-in-a-looney-bin-crazy. Yet.

_Max?_ little Angel said in my head. _Can we stop? I'm tired, plus I am getting sick of Gazzy's jokes._

_Yes, Angel, we can stop, _I told her. It was almost sunset, we had been flying for hours. "We're going to stop," I said out loud. "We could use a good night's rest."

The rest of the Flock nodded. I started looking for a suitable place to land and stay for the night. Minutes later we landed in what else, a small forest. Thank God for Park Reserves, or else us mutant-bird-kids-running-for-our-life wouldn't have anywhere to sleep. So stop cutting down those trees! We need a place to crash, too, you know!

The Flock and I set up camp and had a snack. We were just getting ready for bed when Iggy softly said, "Somebody's here."

I narrowed my eyes and focused on listening for any signs of Erasers or Flyboys. Not that I doubted Iggy, he had the best hearing of us all. _Angel? _I asked mentally, _do you notice anything?_

_No, Max_, Angel replied. _I can't sense anybody around here. _That was odd. Angel was always able to notice if somebody was around. Who could it be that Angel can't sense their mind?

But then I heard some rustling in the bushes. We all turned our heads in the direction of the noise, looking for the source (except Iggy, of course). A person walked out of the cover of the bushes and trees. As soon as the person came into view, and I gasped. Even Fang, who never showed any emotion, like _ever_, let out a small gasp too; for the person standing in front of us looked just like an older version of me.

**Sorry, it's short, but I have homework among other things to do. Plus I haven't even eaten dinner yet, even though it's around ten o'clock in the Chicagoland area. See? That shows what a dedicated writer I am. Next chapter current Max and future Max will meet. Reviews are appreciated, as always...**


	3. Fresh Air and Real Trees

_Future Max's POV_

As soon as I stepped out of that doorway-type-thing I took a deep breath. Oh, the air! It was so fresh. The air my time is like poison, within only minutes of stepping outside normal humans would be dead from breathing in it in. I stood there for a minute, with my eyes closed, breathing deeply.

Then I opened my eyes again. The first thing I saw were the trees. Real, wild, _trees_! In my time there were barely any trees left. It was amazing, to see the trees again, to breathe in fresh air. For the first time in years, I smiled a real, genuine smile.

I don't know how long I stood there, taking in my surroundings. After awhile, though, it hit me. I had traveled through time. Or I was just dreaming, being experimented on, or dead. But I didn't think so. Everything seemed so real. I knew I was really here, in the past.

I, Maximum Ride, had been the first person in known history to travel through time. That was an exhilarating thought. I knew what the future would hold. No, I knew what the future _couldn't_ hold.

I snapped out of those thoughts and remembered my mission. I would need to find my past self. Or would it be current self? Is the Max from this time considered the "real" Max and me the "future" Max? I don't know, this whole time travel thing is very confusing.

I took a device out of the bag I was carrying. One of the functions is similar to a GPS, so I could tell where I was located exactly. The device said I was in California, and the date December 8th, 2008. It was indefinite proof that I had traveled through time.

It was mind staggering, really, to think that I had actually traveled through time. Okay, enough philosophical thinking for me. I needed to find the younger version of me. I went through my memories, thinking where I was on December 8th, 2008. Luckily, the younger version of me and the Flock shouldn't be far from my current location.

I glanced back at the doorway where I had come through. It had completely disappeared. There was no trace whatsoever to show of it ever existing. Good, the last thing I needed was Itex figuring out time travel.

I started walking through the forest to find a clearing where I could take off. As I was walking, I felt seven minds close to me. I lightly tried to probe their minds, seeing if these people were any threat. Most of them had mind blocks. That was surprising, I could only think of a handful of people in this time that had the ability to from a mind block. There where was one mind I could get through without trying. I gasped when I read the mind of the person… or should I say _dog_. It was Total. Of course, his thoughts didn't have anything of importance, so I won't bore you with the details of his thoughts. I quickly pulled out of Total's mind, just in case he noticed someone trying to get in his mind, even though the chances of that were incredibly small.

I stayed where I was, listening intently for any signs that they noticed my presence. I was thinking what I would say to the Flock, to me. What could I say? I knew I wouldn't believe me if I said I was me from the future, so why would me from the past believe me when I say I was me from the future? Ugghhh, this time travel stuff is really starting to give me a headache.

I heard Iggy softly whisper, "Somebody's here." The Flock all swerved their heads in my direction. I sighed. I was going to have to wing it, no pun intended.

I took a deep breath, and walked out of the cover of the bushes and trees. The Flock all looked at me, mouths agape. I heard the past Max gasp, and even Fang let out a little gasp. Wow, this must be really surprising to them, 'cause Fang barely ever showed his emotions.

I must admit I was almost equally as shocked, even though I knew what was happening. I saw myself and my Flock as we were years ago. It was like a dream, or maybe a nightmare. Memoires I had so long tried to bury were resurfacing. I had thought I was prepared to face my old friends, but I wasn't. There was nothing I could have done to prepare myself to meet my ex-family.

I swallowed back tears. I know you're thinking, you're the Indestructible Maximum Ride. You never cry. But these people standing in front of me will one day either be my enemy, dead, or strangers. It was hard to see myself with the people who betrayed me, harder than I ever imagined. But I couldn't think of that now. I was in the past, and I needed to make sure that we stayed the Flock, that we stayed a family.

"Hi," I told the six mutant-bird kids and their talking dog; aka my old family.

**Thanks for reading.... Sorry it's short again, but I wanted to update this as soon as I finished. I promise next chapter will have dialogue with current Max and future Max. Review are appreciated..... **

**~Amada (my sisters made a sign for me when I was inpatient at the hospital and spelt my name wrong... and since then my neurosurgeon and my sisters have called me Amada. It always reminds me of _The Lion King_, you know, the part where Timon, I think, says, "What's ammata with you?"I love rhymes.... I would be glad to use them all the time... :D)**


	4. The So Called Future Me

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday... I had holiday family stuff in the morning and was suprised by a suprise birthday party (for me!)! I want to thank those of you who have reviewed. As corney as it sounds, you all really motivate me to write. It's nice to know people actually like my writing/story (or at least don't think it sucks).**

_Current Max's POV_

I was speechless. The person standing before me looked just like me, only a few years older. She had the same blondish hair, the same brown eyes. It was almost like looking into a mirror, although there were some minor differences. I realized my mouth was agape, and quickly closed it.

"Who are you?" I asked. Yep, that's me; little old miss subtlety. Oh, well. I suppose it was better to put it out there right away. There was no need to waste time on pleasantries or building of the climax. I was tense, ready to launch myself at this person at a moment's notice.

The stranger who looked like me just smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, it was more of kind type of smile. She took in a deep breath, and said, "You don't recognize me, Max?"

I stared at her. _Did I recognize me?_ That's what she had to say? Of course I recognized her, she looked just like me! I shook my head. "Nope. Can't seem to place it. "I said in my normal cocky tone. Instead of annoyance in her eyes, I saw amusement. Who was this person? She didn't seem put off by my sarcastic remarks. Maybe I was losing my touch. Nah. It had to be her.

"Max, you don't have to bother with the sarcasm," the stranger said simply. "Nothing you say is going to annoy me or cause me to break out in rage."

I was shocked, and I could tell the rest of the Flock were too. _Who could this person be_, I asked myself for what seemed like the billionth time since we first saw this person. She knew my name, and isn't taken back at my sarcastic remarks. And Angel wasn't able to sense her mind. This girl was definitely somehow related to the School. How, though, I still wasn't quite sure.

I composed myself and smirked while saying, "We'll see." Lame, I know, but it was the best I could think of under the circumstance. I heard Iggy snigger.

"Yes, we shall," was all the stranger had to say.

"Okay, enough chit-chat," I said, getting annoyed by the lack of influence my smart mouth had on her. "Who the hell are you?" Ops; _sorry Angel_, I mentally apologized for my language. When the girl didn't answer, I asked, "Are you a clone? Another experiment with the same DNA?" I tied to go through the various possibilities in my mind, but only a few made sense. This person was no doubt related to the School, but if she wanted to "destroy" us she probably would have come with backup and probably would have done so already. So who in the world could this lookalike be?

"No, I am not a clone," the girl said, shaking her head. "But yes, I do have the same DNA as you do. Exactly the same, actually."

_What?_ How could this person not be a clone but still have exactly the same DNA?

"What?" Fang asked, his eyes showing that he was also trying to figure out what this person meant.

"Max, I _am _you," the stranger said. Okay, now I was thoroughly confused. She is me? That made no sense at all.

"What?" Nudge asked. "You are Max? That doesn't make sense 'cause Max is Max not you. So how could yo be Max if Max is already Max? I mean it-" Nudge was silenced when Iggy placed his hand over her mouth. But Nudge was right. How could she be me if I was me? I am me, right? Oh, I was definitely getting a headache now.

"What I mean," the stranger carefully began, "is I am you, Max… from the future." All of us looked at the nutcase standing before us. Yeah, right. This person is me from the future. Those whitecoats are sure getting desperate.

"It's true," the-so-called-future-me insisted. "I am you from the future, and you are me from the past."

Okay, this was way past confusing now. I am her from the past? What the hell-o was that supposed to mean? I crossed my arms across my chest. "Uh-huh," I said unbelievingly.

"I know it sounds crazy. Imagine what it feels like for me," the-so-called-future-me said with a smile. "But it is true…" her voice trailed off.

I still did not believe her one bit, but I decided to humor her. It might be fun, if anything. I tried to think of a question only I would know. I asked the question, and she got it right. (For those of you wondering what the question and answer are, I don't want a bunch of pranks done by bored fanfic readers saying they are me from the future.) I asked another for good measure, and she got it right again. Still, that didn't prove anything. Maybe she was just a mind reader, or something else I hadn't considered.

"I know for a fact that you don't believe me. Or you don't believe you or whatever. This time travel stuff is really confusing," the-future-nutcase-me admitted.

"Wow, what gave it away?" I asked sarcastically.

"I'm not sure…." She began. "Maybe it was the eye rolling. Or the tone you were using. Or your body language. Or the fact that you practically right out said you don't believe me. Yeah, I'll go with the last one," the-so-called-future-me said with a smirk. Okay, this did add a little more in her favor. That was a comeback I would have thought of. This person definitely has the same attitude I have.

"Funny," I said. "Let's go guys," I said to my Flock. "We don't need to waste anymore time here."

I started to walk away when the nut-job said, "Do you want proof, Maximum? I can give you all the proof you need…"

For a moment I considered actually listening to her, but I decided against it. Either she was working for the school or a nutcase. Either way, she wasn't worth or time.

_I wouldn't be so sure about that, Maximum, _the Voice said. I stopped dead in my tracks. The Voice thought we should listen to this nutcase?

_Yes, Max, I do. She may not be as crazy as she says she is, _the Voice said.

_How do you know?_ I asked.

_I don't. It's just a feeling. Doesn't a part of you feel like she was telling the truth?_

_No, not really,_ I said. It wasn't entirely true. Part of me did almost believe this person claiming to be me from the future. A small part, anyway.

_You are just afraid, Max_, the Voice said.

_Ha, afraid!_ I thought back. _Afraid that she might introduce us to her imaginary friend next?_

_No, Max, and you know what you are afraid of about this person._

_Okay, enlighten me, Voice._

_You are afraid that was she says is true. And if what she says is true, that person is really you. And that means that you had a reason to travel back in time._

_I am not! _I insisted. I was not afraid of any of that! Besides, she isn't me, so it doesn't matter. _Anyways, is time travel even _possible_?_

_Theoretically, yes. Itex is currently experimenting with those possibilities._

Crap. That means that there is a chance, however small it may be, that this person was telling the truth. That I had spoken to the future me. And the part about Itex experimenting with time travel was scary, very scary. If they controled time, there would be no stopping them.

_Yes, Max, you are right. That is one of the reasons why you must listen to her_, the Voice said. I sighed. I was going to have to listen to this person who claimed to be me. It was going to be interesting, that I was sure of.

"Okay, you have five minutes to give us the proof we need," I told the-so-called-future-me.

She smiled. "Okay, where to begin?"

**Cliffie... I know, sorry! As much as I would love to write all day, I do have other things to do. I have surgery tomorrow, so I have some last minute preperations. Just wanted to let you all know that so y'all don't worry about me. If you don't see any updates from me, I probably haven't been abducted by aliens, experimented on by the School, kidnapped by an imaginary friend, caught in a time loop, sent to a parrell universe, or blown up by the washing-machine (it's out to get me, I swear!); I am most likely semi-unconsious in the hospital on very high doses of heavy duty narcotics. I will try to update when I'm feeling better (which won't be for a few weeks probably) and in a semi-sane state of mind (although it would be funny to write my fanfic while on all those meds, although I'd feel bad for you faithfull readers.) I might update later today or tomorrow in pre-op (where I'll be waiting to go to La La Land so the doctors can play Operation on my spine). If not, happy holidays to you all!**

**-Oh, today, December 7th, is the X amount of years aniversery of Peral Harbor. Keep in mind all those lost from both sides on that day, and all those lost in WWII. And those who fought on each side for what they believe in. We should be totally thankful for being so fortunate to be living now in the twenty-first century. Sorry, enough of the history lesson...**

***Random thought/quote of the day: "Try typing with your nose. Chances are what you write won't make much sense, but you'll never take your fingers for granted again.**

**Reviews are greatly apreciated as always... And if you review and let me know about your fanfic I'd be more than happy to review it. Fair trade, right? :D**


	5. The DREADED Author's Note Sorry!

I'm sorry you guys I haven't updated, and, sorry to say that this is _not _an update on the story. I do strongly stress my sorriness to you- but I just got out of the hospital a week or so ago and have another surgery scheduled Wednesday, but just a teeny-same-day surgery. My battery is dead on my implant so they have to replace it- and I get to keep the battery! I'm really excited about that part.

Anyways, enough about me; I have some of the next chapter typed out on my laptop (I am currently using my sister's) so if I work playing catch up with school quickly (I do school online so I could whiz through chapters if I am feeling well/ want to), hopefully I'll have time to post it, and maybe even another chapter. But don't be surprised if you don't hear anything from me for a bit. Again, I am sorry, but if you are gonna cry me a river build me a raft first (or I'd take pair of wings J).

I you guys can, maybe you can give me some ideas. When I first started, I just was going to have Future Max come back and tell the Current Max not to make the same mistakes, and then take off. But should the Flock learn more about what happened- that would be fun to write, though I have never written a tragedy before. Or maybeFuture Itex will send people (or robots or hybrids) after Future Max. Or maybe Fang and the other members of the Flock (that are still alive, I'm mean, I know…) can come back into the past to get Max? Whacha think? But I am willing to bet you guys have many more ideas…. Let me know please and I'll think about how to continue the story.

Thanx as always. Sorry again!

~Amada

*Hey, my computer addicted friends (not meant in a bad way) there is this GREAT website to go on when you aren't reading fanfics or making your own. Have you heard of ? It gives like a grain of rice for every answer you get correct. You are learning vocabulary words (or whatever other category you picked) and helping the hungry people in the comfort of your own home! Plus you feel really good about yourself afterwards, like you helped someone in need or something. Just a hint for you underachievers (not that I have anything against you) if you go to categories and then pre-algebra (I think) you get basic multiplication.

Here it is: .com You might have heard of it before; if not, check it out!


	6. Cat, No, Make That Bird Girl Fight

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Maximum Ride characters, Mr. James Patterson does. Although I probably own like half of future Max though...**

**Chapter Five:**

**Cat, make that, Bird-Girl Fight Between Current and Future Max**

_Future Max's POV_

There's really no need to bother you with the details, but after describing everything, and I mean _everything_, that has happened up until now; Current Max and still didn't believe me. I forgot how stubborn I could be; well, that's one thing that doesn't change. I sighed, this means I would have to go to my last resort.

"Let's go guys," the Current Me said. "We've given this nutcase enough of our time." Current Me looked me deep in the eyes and gave me the look I had given time and time again; and _wow_ was that creepy. I was really good at the evil stare. Even though it was creepy to have my past self giving me my (or would it be our?) "evil stare", I held my gaze steady. The staring contest between Future Max and Current Max would have went on for who knows how long (a long time nonetheless) but I tore my gaze from her when I heard the rest of the flock getting their bags together.

"Wait," I said. Six pairs of eyes (seven if you count Total) immediately shifted towards me for –what- the second, third time that evening? "I really am Max from the future…"

The expressions on each of the Flock were different, but they were looking at the Current Max for what to do next. The Current Me's expression, well let's just say was surprised; very, very surprised. Tentatively, she took a step towards me and asked the question I heard echoing in the minds other five members of the Flock. "How did you know to say that?"

I smiled inwardly. Now we were getting somewhere. "Simple, really, we mixed letters together to make our secret language. Surely you remember?"

"Yes, _I _remember," the Current Me hissed, "but how could _you_ remember?"

"Because _I_ was there," I attempted to say softly but I could not completely hide the hiss from my voice.

Luckily Fang cut in, because I most certainly did not want to get in a fight with the past me. How weird would that be? Plus, what repercussions could that hold?

"Okay, we could settle this fairly easy," Fang said. I looked into his eyes, as did the Current me. For a moment, doubt surfaced. I discarded it; I had not come all this way just so the Flock won't accept me. Fang said this would be fairly easy. What did he mean by fairly easy? Fairly easy for me if I was telling the truth, I hoped.

Fang turned towards me. Again, emotions tried to surface, but I shoved them back deep into myself conscious. "What's our word?"

_What's our word?_ The question had me confused for a moment, and I saw the look of I-told-you-so being given to Fang by the Current Me, followed by the look of a winner's satisfaction. It looked like I was going to mess up the entire mission because of a stupid question! Then it hit me (figuratively, thankfully). _What's our word?_ Fang was talking about the secret word we created after that whole ordeal with Max II. I remembered the word right away, and in our secret language I told the Flock and Current Max the secret word that for me seemed to be created a lifetime ago, but for them only yesterday (figuratively speaking).

Now the entire Flock was gawking at me, even Fang, for a teeny moment. I just smiled one of my best smiles and innocently asked, "Did I pass?"

"There's still no proof that you're from the future," the Current Me pouted.

"Um, yeah. That's the second part of the test. You have to tell us something that will happen tomorrow," Fang said.

"Fair enough," I said. "Any particular rules I should be aware of?" I asked, not completely expecting a completely fair answer.

"Uhhhh, no," Fang said. "Although it would be helpful if you could tell us of any Flyboy or Eraser attacks?"

I shook my head. "As far as I remember, we went Eraser/Flyboy attack free for few days. But stuff might have changed since I'm here, something to do with damaging the timeline or something? I wasn't really paying attention while my friend tried to explain the physics of it all." The Flocks' eyes were blank, understanding little of what I said. "Any other rules?"

"Uh… no," Fang said.

I smiled. This _would_ be easy. I grabbed the device that helped me find my location earlier. All six of the Flock still jumped back, tense.

"What?" I asked out loud, confused since their mindblocks were up strong again, not wanting to intrude in their minds. That might look whatever this was worse.

"What the He-" the Current Me started but stopped herself from swearing, but continued, "What is that?!!!"

I smiled and let out a little laugh. Of course the Flock would consider this future piece of technology a threat since they did not know its capabilities. "This isn't a bomb or anything, guys, so calm down," I said in a patient voice. "And don't worry about this sending out any signals… it would take Itex or some other group days to unscramble the code to find the actual location; and we should be gone by then…"

The Current Me was still suspicious of me, and I had made it worse with my futuristic gadgets. "What exactly is it, then?" The Current Me asked accusingly.

"It's a lot of things really…" I began. "I guess you could say part of it is sort of like a "modern" computer, a GPS (that's how I found out where I was and how to find you), but the program I need right now will tell me something that will happen tomorrow."

The Flock's eyes were opened wide. There was a relatively short period of awkward silence (as short as awkward silences go) until Nudge opened her mouth. "Omigosh! That is so cool! Can I look at it? Does it play games? Can you access your email? I don't have an email since we're on the run and all but it would be cool to have one. Can I Max? That way-" Nudge was cut off by Iggy who placed a hand over her mouth. Boy, have I forgotten how much that girl can talk.

"So let me get this straight," Current Max said, "that little thing can tell you everything that is going to happen in the future?"

"Sort of," I said, hoping I didn't have to explain the whole messing the time line thing again. "Like I said, I may have inadvertently messed up by coming into the past. But anyways, a lot of those things we don't _want _to happen, otherwise Itex will take total control over the world."

"So that would show us every move Itex will make?" Fang asked.

"Yes, but you can't see it!" I said louder than I meant to. "I can't just hand you the answers. I would love to, because it would be easier for you and eventually easier for me. But I can't. I came back in time to give you a single warning. That's all I was allowed to do without unraveling space-time or something equally catastrophic!"

"Definitely has Max's charming personality," I heard Iggy whisper. The Current Max and I both glared at Iggy; but of course it was effortless. I forgot Iggy was still blind. So instead I saw a bare stick on the ground, and I sent it flying at a fairly fast speed towards Iggy's head. There would be no bruising, but it should definitely hurt.

"Ow! Who's throwing sticks at the blind kid?" Iggy asked.

"Max from the future did!" Gazzy told Iggy.

"Oh yeah, 'cause you are so handicapped, Iggy," I said sarcastically.

"How did you do that without actually _touching_ the stick?" the Current Max asked me. Whoops. I was supposed to keep my newer (newer as in Current Max doesn't have them yet) a secret. Oh well.

"It's another ability I-we- get," I said.

"Oooh! Do any of the rest of us get new abilities?" Nudge asked.

"Sorry, Nudge," I said. "Like I said before, I can't tell you what's going to happen without messing up the timestream."

"But you would only be telling us what our DNA holds, not what's going to happen," Nudge rebuked, and added the Bambi eyes. Oh! I hated when Nudge and Angel would give me Bambi eyes. Lucky for me, though, the Current Max answered first.

"Not right now, Nudge," the Current Max said in stern but still gentle way. "Maybe we could ask our new friend tomorrow. Then the Current Max turned towards me. "What are your predictions for tomorrow, wise one?" she said, mocking me. Not that I blame her, I would have done the same thing. So instead of getting annoyed like the Current Max probably wanted me to, I just laughed.

"That's a good one. Maybe after helping you if I don't explode into a million pieces or swallowed up by a black hole or something, maybe I'll try the whole fortune teller thing. Madame Max does have a ring to it…" I said.

"Ha ha. Very funny," the Current Max said while rolling her eyes. Then her face turned serious. "So what prediction or whatever are you going use for Fang's test?"

I gave the Flock three completely random things that are going to happen tomorrow. What are they, you are wondering, well, like I'm going to tell _you_. Besides the less amount of people that know about the future, the better chance I won't completely screw up the timeline.

"I can tell you guys are tired," I said to the Flock. "I'd take watch if you want to…" I let my voice carry on, and looked at Fang and the Current me.

"No, it's okay, we got it," the Current Max said.

"Yeah, and from what it sounds like you need more sleep that we do," Fang said.

"Au contraire," I said. " I actually only need a little bit of sleep to last for days. And I am still too jittery to sleep, anyways…" I thought of the fresh air and trees, the thought that I traveled through time, about how the rebel forces were doing in the future; well, about a lot of things.

"Suit yourself," the Current me said. "Okay guys, time for bed."

"But…." I heard Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel start complaining.

"No buts, you guys. We've had a long and interesting," the Current Max looked my way during the last word, "day. Now time for bed."

"I'll go over here," I said to nobody in particular, "so I won't be any of yours way." Before anyone could say a single word, I was curled up in a tree across from the Flock. I was more comfortable that way, anyways. By myself. That's how I had been for a very long time now. And being with the Flock again, especially from before everything happened, had reawakened memories and feelings I had buried deep inside. I was becoming attached to the Flock again, something I just couldn't do. I don't know if I could bear if I became completely attached to them and then betrayed again. So I was better off by myself. Much better off. I lay awake for the rest of the night, the thoughts silenced, just listening to the wind rustling between the trees and the occasional forest animal scurrying to find a safe haven for the night. I lay awake looking at the stars and the moon, something I hadn't done in years, feeling slightly jealous of those stars, who had thousands more of their kind, and felt like the moon, the only one of its kind, all alone in the infinite night sky.

* * *

**Sorry for not updating for awhile, but if you did read the Dreaded Author's Note, you'd know I've just gotten out of the hospital not too long ago and am still feeling yucky. This chapter is a little depressing towards the end, but I really wanted to make sure you guys know how much Max has changed. For those of you that wanted longer chapters, is this long enough? 1965 words on Word, not counting this little part at the end. Anyways, I think I have enough ideas for a few more chapters, but if you think I should continue, please let me know if you have any ideas. Originally it was going to be short, since I still have to work on my other Fanfic, Finding Perfection in Shades of Grey. And no, I was not stalling or procrasinating, it's just that it doesn't seem like many people seem to like that Fanfic. If you have a chance (or if you are bored) check it out, please. And let me know about your Fanfic and I'll check it out and review when I get a chance. I think I am going to add a chapter or two to that Fanfic first so I if I should continue it or not, because I have a bunch of ideas for Maximum Ride Fanfics. So I am not sure when I'll be able to update, especilly since I have surgery on Wednesday (just a tiny, same day surgery). Thanx for reading, and thanx in advance to those who review! Do I have to repeat myself every time? Reviews are greatly appreciated...**

**Random Smiles of the Day:**

**Help Is At Hand**

When a person suffers from low self-esteem, friends may find it difficult to provide constructive help. You try a little morale-boosting gestures and carefully judged assurances. But next time, why don't you just go ahead and say what you think: "You must be a great person or you wouldn't have a friend like me."


	7. Building Trust

**Disclaimer: you know the drill... I don't own Maximum Ride, Mr. James Patterson does. There, short and to the point. Now can I begin?**

**Chapter Seven: Building Trust**

_Current Max's POV_

After I finally got the younger ones to sleep; Fang, Iggy, and I started to softly whisper to each other on our thoughts on the day. It certainly was interesting. I wasn't sure if this person who claimed to be from the future me was telling the truth or not. At any rate, she passed the first part of Fang's test. That still didn't prove anything, though. Tomorrow, I guessed I would we know if this other Max was telling the truth or it was just part of Itex's latest scheme.

I sighed. Being in charge was hard. On the one hand, she could be telling the truth and really be from the future. If that was the case, I knew I would have to listen to her, to me. But if she was lying, it could be some plot created by Itex. In that scenario, I would have to figure out whatever their plan was and do whatever I could to thwart it, and keep my Flock safe of course. That would be difficult… the older look alike me seemed to be immune to Angel's mind reading and most likely controlling ability, had some sort of ability to move objects without actually touching them, had some advanced technology, and who knows what else? But not impossible, I reasoned.

For the moment though, the best plan of action was to sit tight and watch for any signs of trouble. I remembered my brief conversation with the Voice. Could Itex really be experimenting with time travel? It seemed like something from some science fiction novel. I let out a little laugh. I saw Fang look strangely at me. He wasn't asleep yet, and I was on first watch. I just shook my head at him, and he shrugged in return. It was funny that the part 2% bird girl thought that is time travel was nothing but science fiction.

I felt the older look alike me look at me, smiling. It was almost as if she had read my thoughts. But she couldn't have could; she? Besides, I had been keeping up my mind blocks, and I knew no one had tried to penetrate it. She was still smiling at me, but I noticed that while she was doing so a rock was hovering a few inches from her face spinning rapidly. I just blinked, not sure how to react. If this person really was me from the future, wouldn't I have the same abilities?

"Not yet," I heard the older look alike me say, looking deep into my eyes. Okay that was creepy. I had kept my mind blocks up, just incase you know. I didn't sense her or anyone for that matter trying to get through my mental defenses.

"You wouldn't," she said, flinging the rock back to the ground. "I am much more attuned to your thoughts than anyone else's, especially in this time period. I don't need to break through your mental defenses to read your thoughts… besides your mind blocks are still relatively weak." I glared at her when she said this last part. "But not too bad considering you can't read minds yet…"

My eyes narrowed. She was really starting to get annoying. And if she could read my mind even with my mind blocks up… well that was a problem. As much as it pained me to think it, I could become a liability. If this other me could control minds like Angel, this would be a big problem. Angel could be pretty scary when she was controlling minds, and it seemed like this person was much more powerful.

"You don't have to worry," she said softly. "It goes against the very core of our beliefs." Her voice was thick with sadness, even though I knew she attempted to hide it. Her eyes met mine again. "Come here if you wish, Max. I want to show you something."

Show me something? Could I trust her? For all I knew this could be a trap. But a part of me was curious; very, very curious. _You have to trust her, Max, _the Voice said. How could I trust her? But I knew that the voice was right, I would have to trust her to get some answers. I noticed Fang was looking at me.

"Max?" He asked with concern.

"I'm going to have to trust her, Fang," I said. Fang started to talk me out of it, but I cut him off first. "It's the only way we are going to get some answers."

"Max…" Fang said. "You don't have to do this. Just wait until morning at least…"

"I don't know if we have until morning, Fang. We need to know if she's telling the truth or not, and we need to know _now_."

Fang seemed to be thinking of what to say, but he knew that nothing he said would stop me. I looked over at the stranger who knew so much about us and had great abilities. She didn't look back, her eyes instead were closed. For a moment I thought I saw some sort of soft light radiate from her, but when I blinked it was gone. I probably just imagined it.

"Be careful, Max," Fang said softly, finally giving up at trying to talk me out of going to the other Max.

"Just like always," I said lightly, smiling.

"And be good," Fang said with a hint of a smile. "I don't want to have to separate the two of you again." I smiled at this, and so did Fang.

"I'll be on my best behavior," I said, jumping off of my branch with a grin. I looked at the other Max. Her eyes were open now, but she was staring off into the forest. Absentmindedly I looked where she was looking, but saw nothing. What was it that she was looking at?

"An owl," the look-alike me said answering my unasked question. "I haven't seen one in years." Okay, and I thought she couldn't get any weirder.

The other me seemed to break from her trance, and looked at me. "Well, are you coming or not?"

**Sorry again for not updating in awhile. I could give you the reasons I haven't done so, but I just find most excuses generally annoying. Unless they are creative. I always find that funny that some people will go through so much trouble trying to make excuses that it would have been easier to do whatever needed to be done in the first place. There's Karma for you. Anyways, this isn't an excuse, it's a fact, and a pretty funny one too. I recently had an MRI, a full brain and spine. The neurosurgeon wanted to make sure nothing new showed up on the MRI that would explain my long and complicated list of symptoms. Of course he found something, something nobody expected to find. My brain has white spots on it! Really, I am telling the truth! It's even funnier because my other sister also has white spots on her brain, and the neurosurgeon has absolutely no clue what they are. So now my sister Alaina and I are the spotted sisters. I joked that we are just next part in human evolution, since we are both fairly smart (sorry for sound narcistic). And that's not even the best part... the nurse said that my brain has actually **_**shrunk**_**. Again, they have no clue why. She says it sometimes happens when you get older. My brillinant retort was that I wasn't even old. You know how they say forty is the new thirty or something like that? Well, I'm not even close to thirty! Or twenty! So I must admit I am quite peeved and offended when they said my brain was small. But hey, wouldn't you be too if for your whole life you've been know as marginally brillinant, boderline genius and all of the sudden they're saying you have a small brain? But I guess it doesn't matter the size of the brain, because the normal human being uses five to ten percent on average of the brains function. So maybe I have more brain activity. Or just a tiny, spotted brain. Okay, there's the end of my rant for now. Happy March!**

**Hoped you liked this chapter. I am going to work on the next one as soon as I feel a little better. There will be answers in the next chapters, too... As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.**

**Random Quotes/Smiles of the Day :D**

He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice. _~Albert Einstein_

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. _~Albert Einstein_

When I examined myself and my methods of thought, I came to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge. _~Albert Einstein_

Around here, we don't look backwards very long. We **keep moving forward**, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious… And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. _~Walt Disney_

Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C's. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage and Constancy, and the greatest of all is Confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably. _~Walt Disney_


	8. Future Memories

**Sorry for not updating for awhile. I'm not going to bore you with the details...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. Mr. James Patterson. If I suddenly switch bodies with him, I will surely let you know; I promise.**

Chapter Eight: Future Memories

_Current Max's POV_

After I finally got the younger ones to sleep; Fang, Iggy, and I started to softly whisper to each other on our thoughts on the day. It certainly was interesting. I wasn't sure if this person who claimed to be from the future me was telling the truth or not. At any rate, she passed the first part of Fang's test. That still didn't prove anything, though. Tomorrow, I guessed I would we know if this other Max was telling the truth or it was just part of Itex's latest scheme.

I sighed. Being in charge was hard. On the one hand, she could be telling the truth and really be from the future. If that was the case, I knew I would have to listen to her, to me. But if she was lying, it could be some plot created by Itex. In that scenario, I would have to figure out whatever their plan was and do whatever I could to thwart it, and keep my Flock safe of course. That would be difficult… the older look alike me seemed to be immune to Angel's mind reading and most likely controlling ability, had some sort of ability to move objects without actually touching them, had some advanced technology, and who knows what else? But not impossible, I reasoned.

For the moment though, the best plan of action was to sit tight and watch for any signs of trouble. I remembered my brief conversation with the Voice. Could Itex really be experimenting with time travel? It seemed like something from some science fiction novel. I let out a little laugh. I saw Fang look strangely at me. He wasn't asleep yet, and I was on first watch. I just shook my head at him, and he shrugged in return. It was funny that the part 2% bird girl thought that is time travel was nothing but science fiction.

I felt the older look alike me look at me, smiling. It was almost as if she had read my thoughts. But she couldn't have could; she? Besides, I had been keeping up my mind blocks, and I knew no one had tried to penetrate it. She was still smiling at me, but I noticed that while she was doing so a rock was hovering a few inches from her face spinning rapidly. I just blinked, not sure how to react. If this person really was me from the future, wouldn't I have the same abilities?

"Not yet," the so-called-future-me said. "You'll develop the abilities in time."

I was surprised. I had my mind blocks up. How could she possibly know what I was thinking?

"Simple. I am much more attuned to your thoughts, since your thoughts are my thoughts… well kind of," she said.

I went and sat next to her. For a moment neither of us said anything. "So…" I said tentatively, breaking the awkward silence.

"So…" the so-called-future-me replied.

"If you really are from the future, how come you came back?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. It's not like I believed her, but I was curious.

"I told you, I have to make sure you succeed and Itex doesn't take over the world," she said simply.

"Yeah I know that," I said. "But how come only you came back? Why didn't Fang or any of the other Flock come with you?"

She hesitated. "It's complicated." Her eyes were dark. She wasn't telling me something. But what was it?

Then something happened all of the sudden. There was a blinding light and my body went numb. Then I was somewhere else, somewhere that wasn't the forest. What had happened to me?

_I felt myself moving, as if someone else was controlling my body. I tried to stop, but I had no control over my actions. I took in my surroundings. I was in some building, it was cold and the walls were made of some type of metal. A bloody battle waged all around me. There were some robots that resembled flyboys, but I could tell that they were more advanced. There were human hybrids with various species. I recognized the Erasers and a human-feline hybrid, but there were other hybrids that I couldn't place. There were people, some complete humans and some hybrids, fighting the others._

_I found myself weaving through the fight, occasionally fighting those who were stupid enough to get in my way. All of the sudden there was an Eraser towards me. I tried to attack the Eraser first but my body wouldn't respond. But then some chunk of metal went flying towards the Eraser's head. Ohh, that had to hurt._

_I continued down a long hallway. Fighting was still all around me. I weaved in and out of the various battles taking place. Then I made it to the end of the hall without any problems. But there were five people that appeared to be human. I was soon proved wrong when two of them launched themselves towards me with incredible agility and strength that would be impossible if they were normal humans. I felt myself move to the side, just narrowly missing two kicks in the head. I continued fighting them (although I still had no control over my actions). I was surprised when one of my attackers suddenly fell to the ground with his head in his hands. I felt a smile on my lips._

_The other three came to the aid of the one I was currently fighting. _Crap,_ I thought. It was pretty close with the first two. I was lucky that that one fell to the ground. I was avoiding blows moving faster than I ever had. I dogged bits and pieces of various debris. And I watched through the corner of my eyes for any other threats._

_I was still multitasking when I say a guy around six one dressed in all black with olive skin and black hair that hung partly over his eyes. There were cuts on his face and arms, but he kept fighting as if he didn't notice his injuries. The guy was fighting his way towards me. There was something vaguely familiar about him…_

"Hey, Max,"_ the guy said, with a grin on his face. _"Need some help?"

"No I do not need some help, Fang!"_ I heard myself hiss at him while landing a punch. I saw something resemble fear cross the person I had just punch, and his fell to the ground unconscious. Wait, did I just say Fang?! I suddenly realized why I felt I recognized the guy, because I knew him. It was Fang, just an older version. Oh my God, I realized. The so-called-future-me was telling the truth. Or I was having some hallucination or something, but I didn't think so. It felt so _real_._

"Aw, come on, Max!"_Fang said, swerving out of way of one of the people attacking us and jabbing another in the eyes. Ooohhh, that had to hurt. I ducked, just narrowly missing another's fist. Before I could counterattack, Fang struck him with an Extended Knuckle Strike. I felt myself glaring at Fang, although I wasn't sure why._

_Fang didn't seem notice my glare, though, for he was busy again with two of our attackers. _"Go on, Max!"_ Fang shouted at me._

"No!"_ I shouted back while using a ridge hand strike to one of the guys. _"You can't handle all three by yourself!"

Listen to Fang,_the Voice in my head said. I scowled. _No!_ I mentally shouted to the Voice. _They will tear him to pieces!_ I was confused. I didn't think this was a hallucination, because could the Voice communicate with me during one?_

Maximum,_ the Voice said in a stern tone, _you need to complete your mission. If you don't everything would have been for nothing.

Wait, what mission?_ I thought back. But the Voice didn't answer me. _

You must hurry, Max. Reinforcements are coming. You will not be able to take them all. It's now or never, Maximum.

_I glanced at Fang. He was barely holding his own with the attackers. _"Go, Max!"_ Fang yelled before punching one in the face. His nose was no doubt broken._

_I felt myself nodding at Fang. My lips started to move. _"Thanks,"_ I said so softly I could barely hear. But Fang heard me, because he just nodded in response before striking again. The door the people who were attacking Fang and I were previously guarding suddenly opened. I felt myself go inside. I struggled to stop moving. I couldn't leave Fang!_

_Before the door closed, I saw Fang trying, and failing, to block attacks from the three. He was getting beaten badly, very badly. I tried to call out, but I couldn't._

_Two of them obviously noticed I was in the room they were supposed to be guarding, and turned the attention towards me. The door suddenly closed. I screamed in my mind. The only chance Fang had to escape was now lost…_

Suddenly the scene changed with a whirl. I was back in the forest. I felt tears on my face. I wiped them away. Good, I could move my body now. But what the heck just happened?

I looked at the me from the future. There was a hint of tears in her eyes too. As soon as she noticed me looking at her, she glared at me. "What did you do?!" she hissed.

"What did I do?" I shouted. "You're the one who did something to me!"

Her gaze softened a bit, but it was still colder than ice. "You don't know what you did?" she asked.

"No!" I insisted. She sat back down next to me and sighed. "What exactly did I do?" I asked. "What was it that I saw?" She didn't answer. "Tell me," I insisted.

She gazed into my eyes for awhile. I almost looked away, but then she softly answered my questions. "You accessed my memories. You shouldn't have gotten that ability for another few years. Me being here must have messed that up somehow…"

What? I accessed her memories? If she was telling the truth, then what I saw actually happened…

"Yes," she said very quietly. "It happened. Or it will happen." She paused for the moment. "Better yet, it happened for me, but not for the rest of the world."

Okay, that was confusing. "So it didn't really happen?"

"No, it happened…" she said. "Only it happened in your (and everyone else's) future, but my past."

I didn't understand. Is that what would happen if Itex succeed in taking over the world?

"Yes. But what you saw was only a small part… things much, much worse happened," the future-me said softly. In her eyes was an expression that would haunt me forever. It was the expression of somebody who had lived to see unthinkable evil.

I thought of the Fang I saw in her memories. "Is the Fang from the future okay?" I asked.

She hesitated for a minute. Finally she answered, "I don't know."

"What! You don't know?!" I asked, feeling enraged. How could she have just left her best friend behind, behind to _that_?

She glared at me. "No, I don't know. I had to complete the mission. You heard what the Voice said… reinforcements were coming. I had to leave, or else everything would have been for nothing, and there would be no hope of saving the world…"

"Couldn't you have taken Fang with you?" I asked.

"No… I had to leave then, and, well, you heard Fang say that he would hold them off for me. I had to go."

"But still! He was your best friend! How could you have just left him?!"

"_Was_ being the operative word," the future-me said with a hint of malice. But I could tell she immediately regretted it.

"Wait, was? Does that mean that Fang and I are no longer friends?" She didn't answer me. "Come on. Tell me."

"No…" she said. I thought she said no as in she won't tell me, but she continued. "We're not friends." Her voice was full of sorrow.

I wasn't sure how to respond. I mean, what could I say. Hey future me, how come I'm not still friends with my best friend? Plus I was sort of scared of the answer. Was I the reason Fang and I were no longer friends, or was it Fang's fault?

"It was probably both our faults," she said answering my unasked question. It was getting pretty annoying of her to answer questions I didn't necessarily want to ask.

"Sorry," she said with a small smile.

"Okay, what about the rest of the Flock?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer, but I knew I that I needed to know.

The future-me's eyes darkened. "We broke up."

"We broke up?" I asked. I couldn't believe it! After everything that we had been through, how could we just break up? We were a family! Granted, a weird mutant family, but still, we were a family…

"Yes we broke up. And before you ask why, I can't tell you. All I can tell you is that the rest of the flock are either my-our- enemies, dead, or strangers."

"What?!"

"That's all I can tell you. But that's why I'm here. To make sure the Flock stays together. If you do, then you can save the world."

I wasn't sure what to say at first. "Wait, that's the only reason you're here? To tell us not to break up? Then what are you going to do? Go on your merry way?" I asked, my voice bitter.

"It's all I can do. Believe me, I'd love to help out more, but I can't. I have to make sure my future never happens, make sure you succeed in saving the world, and a few other little things… and I don't even know what's going to happen to me! For all I know I could start to disappear or die or be swallowed up by a black hole or something else that could kill me because of the laws of physics or something!" the future-me shouted.

"Whoa, hold on," I said, quite taken back. "I was just wondering, that's all."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's just it's hard, to see you, to see everything how it was. I am relieving some of my best-and worst- memories," she said, her voice bittersweet.

"I'm sorry, too. I didn't really think how hard this must be for you."

The future-me looked surprised. "Wait, does this mean you believe me?" she asked curiously.

I thought carefully before I answered. "Yes," I said, "I think I believe you. This isn't exactly Itex's style. And I can tell you are telling the truth, I can see it in your eyes." I paused. "But don't think I still am not going to suspect you, though. I have to keep the Flock safe, and the only way to do that is to suspect everybody… especially mutants who claim to be from the future." I smiled, and the future-me smiled back.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

**Okay... hope you liked it. I'll try to update again soon, although I want to update my other story "An Evil Madman's Beginning: The First Experiment" first. Check it out if you have a chance, please. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. By the way, I'd gladly review your stories if you tell me about them. I've been looking for good fanfics to read, so drop me a line.**

**Random Smiles/ Quotes of the Day :D**

"Madness takes it toll. Please have exact change." _~Unknown_

_"_People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect... but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly.... timey-wimey.... stuff." _~The Doctor in Doctor Who episode 'Blink'_


	9. A Chat With the Voice In My Head

**Okay, before I start this chapter I wanted to clear some things up first. Someone (Lauren) mentioned that Max defeated Itex in book three. I know that, but the way I think of it is that some of the whitecoats might have escaped. And even if the police captured everyone there at the time, I am sure there were others who didn't attend because of work or something. So I in this story I am working on the assumption that some of Itex's people escaped and started to rebuild. And I know Max doesn't have mind reading abilities... yet. I wrote this chapter mostly as a filler and so you can understand a little more about Max's abilites that she'll develop. Forgive me if some things don't make sense and if there are gramatical errors, for it's almost four o'clock in the morning. Oh, and thanx so much for everyone who reviewed. It helps when I know somebody actually enjoyed this. Anyways, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: you know the drill by now. I don't own Maximum Ride, and most likely never will.**

**Chapter Nine: A Chat With the Voice In My Head**

_Current Max's POV_

I am trying to fall asleep, but it's useless. There are just too many thoughts going through my head. Fang took over the watch for me not too long after my conversation with my future-self. I wasn't still one-hundred percent convinced, but I wasn't as skeptical as I was at first.

I thought back to how I had accessed her memory. How did I do that? Would I be able to do it again? That would be helpful, if I was able to see people's memories. Angel could read only the person's current thoughts, but if I was able to see the person's past actions, it would be much easier to determine friend from foe.

_Yes it would, Max, _the Voice said. _But do you really want to live other people's memories? You might not like what you see, just like what happened already._

I thought about that. I definitely did not like what I saw. It was horrible. And I suppose it would be completely betraying a person's privacy. But if I had to do it to ensure the safety of the Flock, I guess I would do it.

_But still, I don't even know how I accessed her memories. It was a complete accident, Voice. Do you know how I did it? _I asked the Voice, not really expecting an answer.

_No, I do not know how you did it, Max. But I do know it's another ability you will develop._

_Do I develop any others? The future-me (that's what I'll call her from now on) seems to be able to read minds, or at least mine. And she can move objects without actually touching them._

_I do not know all the abilities you will develop, your DNA is mutating by itself now. But it is more than likely that you will develop telekinesis and become telekinetic._

_Really? Both? _It would be cool to read minds. I guess there would be some downsides to it, but overall it seems like a cool ability. Angel certainly seems to enjoy it. Thinking of Angel, even she is only telepathic, not telekinetic. And I am supposed to develop both? I briefly wondered if Angel would develop any other abilities.

_Yes, you are supposed to develop both. Of course, something could happen, but I believe you are supposed to develop telekinesis and becoming telekinetic. And quite possibly other abilities, too…_

Wow. _How come I am supposed to develop so many abilities, what about the rest of the Flock?_

_You were created special, Maximum. They wanted to create the most advanced hybrid with unique powers that were not only physical. Of course, they believed that they had failed and you have no sort of extra powers._

_Well they were right… sort of._

_Yes, but your abilities needed time to grow and develop._

_So when will I get all these cool superpowers?_

_I don't know for sure about all of them, but you all ready have begun to develop the mind-reading ability._

_What?_

_That's how you accessed your future-self's, as you call her, memories. You read her mind. Only you did it differently than Angel. You went deeper, not into her current thoughts. You went into her subconscious, into her memories._

I stopped and thought about that for awhile. I wondered if I would be able to do it again. Or better yet, if I would be able to do it under controlled circumstances. It was terrible to be sucked into her memory like that. It would be horrible if I could relive any memory of anyone's without any warning or any control. Not to mention dangerous. What if I was in the middle of some fight and all of the sudden I was sucked into a person's memories?

_That's why you have to work on learning to control your new ability, Max, _the Voice said.

_Any clues on how to do that?_I asked with a hint of sarcasm in my tone. The Voice didn't answer. I guessed it was done answering me for now. Actually, I was surprised. I had gotten a lot of information out of the Voice.

As much as I didn't want to, I thought back to my future-self's memory. I still didn't know if she was telling the truth for sure, but my gut told me to trust her. I would still stay cautious, just like I told her. Besides, that memory felt so _real_. Not that I was sure if that meant anything. I suppose it was possible that she just had some sort of ability to give people hallucinations. It was unlikely, but possible.

Still, I didn't think she was lying. The look in her eyes, the look on her face when she spoke about the Flock in the future was something an agent from Itex wouldn't have been able to cook up. It was the face of someone who experienced pain worse than practically anything; emotional pain worse than any kind of physical pain.

I remembered what my future-self said about the Flock in the future. That we broke up. That they were either dead, my enemy, or strangers. I shuddered. I would do everything I could to make sure that didn't happen. I couldn't let that happen, and I wouldn't.

Even if it turns out that this person is really working for Itex, she still helped me, in a way. I knew now more than ever that the Flock had to stay together. We were all we had. And I knew I couldn't save the world alone. I needed them, maybe more than they needed me. And I would do everything in my power to make sure we stayed together, no matter what. I only hoped I wouldn't regret saying that.

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Random Smiles/ Quotes of the Day :D

**A Great Invention:**

If it weren't for Thomas Edison, we'd all be watching TV by candlelight.

**Strange Encounter:**

A train traveler was puzzled by a fellow passenger who sat by an open window, muttering to himself and tearing pages out of a book. Finally she went up to him and asked what he was doing.

"Keeping the wild elephants away," was the reply.

"But," the woman said, puzzled, "there aren't any wild elephants around."

"No," said the man, "You see, it works!" _(Don't try this, people just look at you strangely and then nicely suggest that you seek professional help.)_

**Wasting Frogs**

To kiss a frog to get a prince is a waste of a perfectly good frog.


	10. The Conversation Between the Max'es

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nada. Zip. I especially don't own Maximum Ride... or the future**

**_AN: Okay, I am posting this at one thirty in the morning, Chicago time, after barely sleeping last night and have been taking tons of allergy pills (like Benadryl) which make me VERY, VERY, VERY sleeply. I'm only writing this because I had the sudden urge to write and an idea for this chapter. I'm struggling to keep my eyes open as it is. So sorry if there are any typos, mistakes, if I repeated stuff, and/or I messed parts up. If there are, please let me know. Thanks!!!_**

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_Chapter Ten: The Conversaition of the Max'es_

_Current Max's POV_

I woke up, startled. My body tensed, already to fight if necessary. I quietly walked towards the noise. I found a girl who looked just like I imagined an older version of me would look like. She was a feet away from the deer. That must have been the noise I heard that woke me up.

Suddenly, memories of the previous day flooded my brain. This girl in front of me _was_ me; well the me from the future.

"So you believe me?" the future-me asked curiously. Uggh, I remembered that she was able to read my mind even _with _the mind blocks up. "I told you it's because our minds our more attuned to each other… your mind is my mind and my mind is your mind and all that," the future-me explained.

"I know," I said out loud. "It's just a bit too much to find out that in the future the Flock breaks up, causing Itex to take over the world and the only way to save the world was for you-er, me- to come back in time for you-er me- to remind me, or you, whatever it would be that the Flock needs to stay together."

"It is confusing," the future-me said. "I can barely wrap my head around all this." The future-me gestured towards the trees, the sky, the grass, etc. "I am literally reliving my memories."

Memories. That made me think especially of last night's events. When I somehow "accessed" my future-self's memories. I didn't want to ask how I did that; or at least right now. So instead I tried to make conversation. It was weird, when I thought about it. I was really talking to myself.

"Don't think about it," the future-me advised, "it'll just give you a headache. It goes around and around and around in circles. A paradox… an endless paradox."

So I went and started the conversation I was going to before. "It must be hard for you," I said. It was kind of repetitive. I remembered more of our conversation last night. But maybe I'd learn more about the-future-me.

For awhile the-future-me was silent. Then she finally said, "Yes. Like I said before, all of the Flock are either dead, my enemies, or total strangers."

I was about to open my mouth and ask who was dead, who betrayed us, and who were like strangers; but the-future-me responded before I could get a word out. "No, I am not telling you who betrayed us, who is dead, and who is just a stranger."

"How come?" I asked. The information would help. If I knew who would die, I could try and save him or her. And if I knew who'd betray us, I could try to stop him or her beforehand and…

The future-me interrupted my thoughts, "See? See what you're thinking?" the future-me asked in a slightly agitated tone. "If I told you who betrayed us, you would never treat that Flock member the same again."

I thought about that for a moment. I guess I would treat whoever is supposed to betray us differently.

"Yes, you would. You wouldn't trust the person, even though he or she hasn't done anything wrong. And on top of that, treating him or her might be the reason he or she betrays the Flock in this timeline," the future-me said; and she was right. If I knew who betrayed us to the School or Itex in the future (or the future-me's future), I would never look at he or she the same way again. I wouldn't let him or her into all the important details, go on certain missions, etc. And the future-me was right; just by treating a member of my Flcok that may or may not betray us would undoubtedly lead to his or her betrayal.

"Yes. you're absolutely correct. And besides…" the future-me said, letting her voice trail off for a moment. "If I succeed in making sure you guys stay together and you succeed in saving the world, then chances are that the person who betrays us won't."

"You were right about the whole paradox thing," I said. I know you're thinking, wow, _paradox_, a big word for Maximum Ride. But I did learn _something _at that nightmare school in Virginia with that traitor Anne.

"I know, this time travel stuff is confusing, isn't it?" the future-me asked me, the current-me. Wow, it really was confusing. I couldn't really think of it that much, because if I did I just got a ignoramus headache.

I glanced at my watch. It was around seven-thirty western time in the continental US. That was the bad thing about living on the run, flying to different places every few days… the time zones. Luckily our bodies are able to handle the time changes better than a normal human, so we didn't get jet-lag that often.

"I should go wake everybody up," I said, not really to anyone in particular.

The future-me nodded. "You probably should."

"Yeah," I said. "We can't wait for the results of Fang's test…" I added jokingly. I believed this girl who claimed to be me from the future, or for the most part at least. The future-me smiled at me, obviously hearing those thoughts. I groaned inwardly. I had just learned how to but mind-blocks up against Angel, and now I have to deal with the future-me reading my thoughts. I guess they really are, or were, her thoughts too, though.

"I'll help you with you're mind-blocks and mind reading," the future-me said. I was surprised, I was under the impression she was here just to say, 'hey, mini-me, don't let the Flock break up so you can save the world. Okay?'.

"Mini-me…" the future-me said with a smile. Oh, now I was going to regret saying that, I just knew it. "I like it."

I was going to tell the future-me not to call me that, but I realized it wouldn't be worth the effort. She was probably just as strong, tough, and confident as me, if not more.

"Good idea," the future-me said. I assumed she was talking about the whole 'mini-me' situation. "I'll try no to call you 'mini-me' unless I need to call you _something_."

"Why not Max?" I asked. The answer was probably appallingly obvious, but I wanted to know.

"Because that's _my_ name…" the future-me said. "Well, it's your name too, but I've been called _Max_ longer than you."

I just nodded. This was an argument I wasn't going to win. And besides, the future-me said that she wasn't going to stay too long.

"No, I'm not," the future-me said.

"So when are you going to teach me how to make a more powerful mind block and to the whole mind reading thing?" I asked. I was anxious to learn how to create a better mind block, and _really _excited about the whole mind reading thing. I have always been _slightly_ jealous of Angel because of her cool powers. Now I can red minds, too.

"Like you already know, Angel's mind-reading abilities are different than yours-ours," the future-me said. "Anyways, maybe I'll start showing you later on today. But first we should wake up the rest of the Flock."

I nodded and went to go and wake up everybody else, thinking over what the future-me had told me (both last night and this morning) and what the Voice had said. I was really starting to believe that this girl is me from the future. She acts a lot like me, but is also slightly different. But I suppose an evil company bent on world domination actually succeeding in taking over the world would do that to you.

In a sense, I hoped that this girl _was_ the future-me. She was pretty and seemed smart. I hadn't seen her in a fight yet (not counting that one in her memories) and I was willing to bet that she was an excellent fighter. And she was able to read minds and move objects without actually physically touching them… and who knew what else she could do? Most of all, this girl was strong. She had seen the end of the world, and kept going on. She had her best friends, her family either die, betray her, or become strangers. And yet she was able to rise above it all. She still had that fire in her, the will to fight… even after everything that had happened. I hadn't seen anything like it before. So would it be bragging if I say that the-future me was absolutely awesome, kick ass girl?

***I don't know if I've mentioned this, but this story takes place after Final Warning. But I'm going off the idea that Itex and the School weren't really completely destroyed. So they are still out there, somewhere... [cue creepy Twilight Zone music (the TV show, not the book)... dun dun dun du dun]

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**Okay, I hoped you liked this chapter. Next chapter will be with the whole Flock. I just thought that the Current-Max and the Future-Max needed some more time alone. This chapter might be a little shorter than usual, but I am working on writing shorter chapters and updating more often… and take turns updating my fanfics (in other words, I'm making smaller chapters so I can post them quicker and am updating all of my stories, not just the ones that I am really interested in at the moment).I'm sorry for not updating for awhile, I have been working on my other stories, namely "Maxamorphosis" (I said it was a fanfic written out of procrastination, because I have been procrastinating on updating this story along with a few others). This chapter wasn't too hard to write, but the plot is getting harder to write. I need input from you readers, because I'm not exactly sure how to go on with this story. So please review or PM me about which of the following you think would be a good way to continue this story. I'm really sorry to do this (because I hate when Authors do this), but I'll need aleast ten reviews or so before I update again, that way I can write the rest of the story the way the majority of the readers want it to be. SO PLEASE REVIEW!!! You're opinion and words are really important to me, as a writer. I need to know what you guys that are reading my stories are thinking. So the following are different ideas I have for the rest of the story:**

**1. Have Current Itex/the School come and capture the Flock but they escape (Future Max is caught too).**

**2. Current Itex/the School come and capture the Flock and fail.**

**3. Have Current Itex/the School come and capture the Flock and Future Max has to rescue them**

**4. Future Itex/the School send thier people back in time too (the whole in time was kept open somehow or they got thier hands on the research) in order to stop Future Max from saving the future**

**5. Future Itex/the School send people back in time to capture the Current Flock and the Future Max**

**6. Future Itex/ the School helps the Current Itex/ the School**

**7. Some good guy comes from the Future and tells Max that they'd won and helps Future Max (posiblly Future Fang...)**

**8. Or any other idea you can think of that I can't.**

**(By the way, on all of the ones where the Flcok gets captured, they escape somehow eventually)**

**So please let me know how I should continue this story. I'm not normally a person to do this, but I'll need about ten reviews or so telling me how they want me to continue the story. So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE review!!! To me, reviews are like good job cards and report cards and thank you cards; as well as cyber cheerleaders and pep squad to help me find my inspiration. So plase review! It means a lot to me (and I always try to reply to them, too). And if you review and let me know about your story, I'll read it and review yours. Fair trade: review for review. SO PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

**Thanks! **

**~Amanda**

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**Random Quotes/ Smiles of the Day :D**

*I ran with scissors, and lived!

*I don't obsess! I think intensley!

*I make the Cowardly Lion look like the Terminator!

*I don't suffer from insanity... I enjoy every minute of it!


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